Residential News

MPS Summer Staff ’16

The days are getting shorter and the kids have headed back to school, it can only mean that fall is upon us! The change in seasons always brings an air of excitement, new decor, recipes and flowers in the garden. In this issue we have included some important steps that should be taken in the fall to ensure your grass and gardens will wake-up healthier next spring, as well as some fall decor inspiration and a delicious fall recipe.

Here in the office we have been busy hiring fall staff to replace the students who have left for school, as well as getting prepared for the winter season. To celebrate the summer employees, we held the first MPS BBQ.  It was a great afternoon and allowed our employees to socialize with managers and office staff in a relaxed setting

ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION

MPS Property Services is very proud to announce that after a summer of hard work and implementation of many new processes, we have passed our internal and Stage 1 & 2 ISO audits; becoming only the second Canadian company in our industry to achieve ISO 9001 / SN 9001 Certification.
This internationally recognized Business Management credential identifies MPS as an organization that meets the procedures, policies and requirements of ISO Quality Management, with specific written standards related to the Snow & Ice Management industry.
This exciting certification is an important step in allowing MPS Property Services to continue to improve our customer satisfaction and overall quality of our operations.
We look forward to implementing our new systems and procedures this winter!

Fall Decor

As autumn rolls in, it calls for a change in outdoor decor such as warm colours, pumpkins, and rustic touches. Click here to see our ‘Fall Decor’ Pinterest board for all your fall inspiration needs.

Fall Turf Care: Aeration & Overseeding 

After a hot, dry summer, like the one we have just experienced, Core Aeration and Overseeding are two easy ways to help heal lawns that have been damaged by summer drought, diseases, insects and even heavy foot traffic.
Core aeration is the process where small cores of soil are removed mechanically from the lawn to reduce soil compaction and promote root growth. Compacted soil prevents grass from establishing a healthy root system and will keep water and fertilizer from reaching the roots as well. Aeration will benefit your lawn and make it healthier in the following ways:

• Improve the exchange of air between the soil & atmosphere
• Improve water & fertilizer uptake to the soil and roots
• Reduce water runoff
• Enhance the root system of the grass
• Improve the turfs heat & drought stress tolerance
• Increase thatch breakdown

Aeration should be done twice per year; in the spring and fall, with the fall aeration (between early September and mid-November), occurring before any late season fertilizer application. Aerations should be done each year, especially if the soil is poor, to improve the health of your lawn.
Early fall is a great time for overseeding your lawn, especially after a summer drought. This gives the seed enough time to germinate and the resulting seedlings time to mature enough to survive the winter and begin growing again in the spring.
The grass seed mix should be spread with either a rotary or drop spreader to ensure the proper amount is applied to the lawn correctly (refer to the bag for specific instructions). Overseeding is an effective way to fill in areas of turf that were damaged in the summer, and also thickens and increases the density of “thin” lawns. Overseeding also increases the turfs ability to fight disease and insects that are prevalent in the summer and will improve the appearance of your lawn.

FALL CLEANUP CHECKLIST

1. Aerate the lawn- As the temperatures start to decrease the grass will slow down, however moist soil encourages strong root development.
2. Fertilizer- A high phosphorus mix around 12-25-12 will encourage root growth, meaning you’ll have a greener lawn in the early spring.
3. Final Mow- On the last cut of the season, trim down to 1 ¼ inches. Diseases have a harder time developing in shorter grasses, it also decreases the amount of leaves and debris that can get caught in longer grass.
4. Collect leaves
5. Plant shrubs- planting shrubs in the fall gives them a head start
6. Plant spring bulbs-  such as tulips, daffodils…
7. Trim dead limbs
8. Cut back perenials
9. Mulch young plants- protection from frost damage
10. Dry out irrigation drip system- put hose and other garden tools away

BEAUTIFULLY ACCESSIBLE 

Here is another unique design to add to the books, we are in love with how it turned out! These delightful homeowners approached us with the vision of an accessible and functional landscape design for their backyard. They needed an accessibility ramp with a design that accentuated the patio and outdoor living space. Our designer Dave created this beautiful backyard and made it functional for the whole family.

Construction on this project began mid-September, first a porch ‘Overlay’ was added to the original builders porch slab. Porch overlays are an easy way to add continuity between the porch and interlocking patio. Techo Bloc Blu 60 pavers were used for the patio and accessibility ramp, this paver was recommended by our designers since the texture of the stone reduce slip hazards. To build the accessibility ramp with the proper slope, the patio was raised 18 inches with the installation of Ortana retaining walls. Armour stones were included throughout the design to divide areas and add visual appeal.  Permacon Esplanade steps were installed off the side of the patio and at the door to the detached garage. One special addition to the design was the antique curbs on the accessibility ramp for added safety. Lastly, new low-maintenance gardens were installed with mulch, to complete this project. This home now has a beautifully accessible backyard that is functional for the whole family!

An MPS Favourite

Ingredients:

• 4 strips Applewood bacon
• 3 cups Butternut squash cubes
• 1 Garlic clove
• 1 cup Red onion
• 1 1/2 tbsp Sage, fresh
• 1 1/2 tbsp Thyme, fresh
• 1 cup Chicken stock, low sodium
• 2 lb Pasta, gluten free
• 1 Salt
• 1 cup 2% milk
• 2 tbsp Butter

 
Instructions:

1. In a large skillet add the butter and red onion. Saute until slightly soft, about 1-2 minutes.
2. Next add in the garlic, saute for 30 seconds, stir and add the butternut squash, chicken stock, sage, and thyme. Stir and cover. Cook until the butternut squash is fork tender, about 8-10 minutes.
3. When the squash is tender, add the squash to a food processor along with the milk and salt to taste. Puree until smooth.
4. In the meantime heat a small skillet to medium high heat, add the diced bacon to the pan and saute until the bacon is crispy. About 4-5 minutes. When the bacon is done, place it on a paper towel lined plate to let the grease drain.
5. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add gluten free pasta, cook according to directions, (6-8 minutes) do not overcook.
6. Drain pasta and add butternut squash sauce to the pasta, gently toss together and top with crispy bacon. Serve!

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1½ cups Calories: 407 Fat: 9 g Carbohydrates: 83 g Sugar: 6 g Sodium: 234 mg Fiber: 8 g Protein: 10 g Cholesterol: 20 mg

Spring Has Sprung!

Hello! We are excited to be sending our first MPS Property Services digital Newsletter. As part of our company’s growth we have recognized that digital outreach is an important way to keep in contact with our customers.
Our objective in these newsletters is to keep our customers up to date with our services and projects as well as to send out tips and pieces of advice to help with your own property maintenance.
In addition to our Newsletter we have also been working hard to get our new website up and running and joining the social media world.

President’s Column

Jim Monk

Over the years, we’ve often wondered about the best way to reach out to our customers, (and potential customers!), in order to share some timely information, discuss changes in the industry, or just talk about cool projects we’re working on.  As a result, we’ve resurrected the “MPS News”, which we originally experimented with in paper version 15 years ago! We hope to be able to share information that you might find relevant, informative, and hopefully, interesting.  If there’s anything you’d like to see covered, please feel free to let us know – we aim to please!
With the changeover from snow removal to landscaping season, there’s always the challenge of putting away and storing winter equipment, pulling out the mowers and excavators, and getting our staff re-oriented to provide our new seasonal services.  This year was no different, although the lingering winter (plowing well into April??!!)  added challenges to that (We took off plows and salters 3 times in anticipation of the arrival of spring!). We’ve made it through, and are now going full-steam building and maintaining beautiful landscapes.

This offseason, we’ve made a real commitment to improving our on-line presence.  We’ve updated our website, and have made sure to make it mobile friendly.  We have tons of photos and information on past projects, as well as staff profiles, a section for blogs where we’ll have various staff members posting  timely and relevant articles on just about anything that might be occurring with MPS.  We’ve also entered the world of social media, and you can now easily follow us on Instagram and Facebook, with an increased presence on other platforms to come.  Please feel free to take a look around, and sign up to follow us – we’d love to get any feedback on what you like, or how to improve it!
Jim Monk
President of MPS Property Services

Spring-Cleanup Checklist

1. Rake leaves, dead grass, pine cones from lawn
2. Remove leaves and debris from the garden beds
3. Turn soil over and add soil to gardens that require it
4. Remove dead leaves and stalks from perennial beds
5. Prune dead branches from trees and shrubs
6. Fertilize grass ; nitrogen rich fertilizer to ‘green-up’ the grass
7. Aerate the lawn (pulling small plugs of soil out of the lawn) reduces compaction and aids in nutrient uptake.  This can be done anytime, but is especially effective in springtime
8. Energize and test the irrigation system to test for winter damage or head locations that may need to be repositioned
9. Sweep walkways and driveways
10. Enjoy the lovely weather to come

Country Backyard Oasis

The new owners of this beautiful country property are loving their backyard design-build that was completed in the summer of 2015. The project involved removing the existing wood deck that surrounded the pool area and continued up to the second level of the house. The decking was replaced with a precast stone patio with a concrete border around the pool. New gardens were created and planted to bring the natural beauty from the back of their property around the pool to the back of the house. A beautiful cedar cabana was built and installed by our very skilled carpenter Trevor Little. The cabana serves as a bar, pool house and provides an outdoor living area. The new owners will enjoy spending the whole summer in their fantastic new backyard oasis. The happy home owners were so thrilled with their backyard makeover that we’ll soon be re-doing their front yard!
For more pictures, check out the project page.

Steve Andrus

Construction Crew Leader| Area Supervisor
Steve Andrus has been with MPS Property Services since the winter of 2013. He is one of MPS’s main construction crew leaders and works as an area supervisor in the winter.  Steve’s area of expertise is in Landscape Construction, where he excels on large projects, and loves working with natural stone. Steve is also a skilled machine operator, which provides tremendous value on larger job sites, and of course, in snow removal operations. Steve has played an active role in allowing MPS to expand and take on larger, and increasingly more difficult construction projects.
Steve is currently working on a front yard and backyard renovation complete with new interlock, natural stone, poolscape and a basketball court. When Steve is not at work he enjoys spending time with his kids and golfing.